Even after so many updates and patches, Dine Out is still the most infuriating, useless, mess of a game pack ever made for TS4. Here's one reason of about a thousand: I have a sim I want to hire as chef. He does not have a job already. He is skilled in cooking and mixology. He is not skilled in charisma, fitness, or comedy. Then WHY does my game insist that I hire him as host or waiter, every single time, and never a chef? Oh, he shows up to hire, just never as a chef. Always host and waiter. No matter how many times I reload. I don't want him to be a host or a waiter. I want him to be a chef. He would be a good chef and I want to hire him, specifically him, and not these other six fools who have no skills at all. Always the same six unskilled sims. I don't want them. Why do they never change? Why can't I just walk up to this one sim that I want and offer him a job? Of course, this is just one of the many things I would love to do with my restaurants that is forbidden for some unexplained reason. I would also love to be a chef in my own restaurant, or have my sim's daughter be the waitress. I would love to hire played neighborhood sims that don't lose their job each time I load their house.The limitations on the restaurant experience are beyond frustrating. This game pack is the only pack of this whole generation that I have deeply regretted.

The pack is OK as a restaurant game pack, but the management side they emphasized their focus on leaves a lot to be desired. There's no break options, no option to set salaries, limited ability on who you can hire, limited ability of the management. I wish I could have just said hello and walked around as a restaurant manager, that sounds super easy and super unrealistic. Given that this GP is almost a year old I doubt any changes or updates will be made.

I'm frustrated by the same things. I got Dine Out thinking I could customize the staff with my own sims so I could do theme restaurants, so I was extremely disappointed to find out that I had to hire inexperienced townies. I mean, I'm not heartbroken over it because I didn't care much about restaurants to begin with, but I might have skipped buying it altogether if I knew there was really nothing for me in it. I feel like the npc/pc AI selection is backwards in sims 4. When I want to select and use specific sims for roles, I can't... (restaurants, bar tending, entertainment, retail, yoga, etc.) ...and when I want my played sims left alone, (festivals, random job fillers, special events,) the game uses them. I really REALLY wish they would patch in a "select sims" pop up for all of these things, or a tick box or something, but I have a feeling that it's something that's deeply embedded in the coding.

Sadly, Dine Out is just one of their 'fail' packs imo.I can enjoy using it so long as I don't want to run a restaurant myself. Just like the OFB aspect in GTW, the pack was not done sufficiently well and I doubt that any changes will be made to improve it.

Actually ....I would say 'Dine Out' lives up to its name. The pack is all about dining out, eating food and learning experimental dishes. The option of running a restaurant is more of an afterthought for it.Dine out does not equate to management of a restaurant.

I like it as a restaurant for my Sims to go eat. I didn't bother trying to run one because I heard so many negative things in the beginning.

Dine Out is still the absolute worst

Cinebar
8 years ago
You can move Sims into a house and then hopefully (it's random) they show up for hire. Or if you have some you like put them in a house and turn aging off for them so they don't grow old and die. You don't have to play them. I'm sorry you hate this GP. I thought it was a major turn around for TS4 to me. It is very useful in my game when I play. I would say there isn't a Sim day someone doesn't go out to eat in my game. The last patch messed up my Sim's restaurant and I lost all her employees.... :s because of it, and had trained them all. I was mad about that, but she started over and back up to level four restaurant. Haven't played much lately. (I thought *I would hate the owning a restaurant but I thought it was fun and a lot to do). TS2 had it's problems, too. (did I say that?) when you wanted your Sim to be chef the Sims who had already ordered would lose their food turn...so, all these games had some problem with stuff like this.
kremesch
8 years ago
"Cinebar;c-15719430" wrote:
You can move Sims into a house and then hopefully (it's random) they show up for hire. Or if you have some you like put them in a house and turn aging off for them so they don't grow old and die. You don't have to play them. I'm sorry you hate this GP. I thought it was a major turn around for TS4 to me. It is very useful in my game when I play. I would say there isn't a Sim day someone doesn't go out to eat in my game. The last patch messed up my Sim's restaurant and I lost all her employees.... :s because of it, and had trained them all. I was mad about that, but she started over and back up to level four restaurant. Haven't played much lately. (I thought *I would hate the owning a restaurant but I thought it was fun and a lot to do). TS2 had it's problems, too. (did I say that?) when you wanted your Sim to be chef the Sims who had already ordered would lose their food turn...so, all these games had some problem with stuff like this.

Guess I'm just not their target audience. I'm tired of the issues. They seem to be worse each time instead of better. I had major issues near the beginning of S2 where I rage quit due to the jump bug. I literally couldn't play my game because sims could not interact. They fixed it and I never had an issue with it again.

It was then that I swore I wouldn't put up up with this bull pooh any more. But I eventually bit the bullet and learned what hoops to jump through for 3.

I'm just not going to do it any more. I'm not going to pay for this or make or accept excuses for it any more. It's worse this time around. It's every flipping month. Too much for me to excuse.
Cinebar
8 years ago
"kremesch73;c-15719449" wrote:
"Cinebar;c-15719430" wrote:
You can move Sims into a house and then hopefully (it's random) they show up for hire. Or if you have some you like put them in a house and turn aging off for them so they don't grow old and die. You don't have to play them. I'm sorry you hate this GP. I thought it was a major turn around for TS4 to me. It is very useful in my game when I play. I would say there isn't a Sim day someone doesn't go out to eat in my game. The last patch messed up my Sim's restaurant and I lost all her employees.... :s because of it, and had trained them all. I was mad about that, but she started over and back up to level four restaurant. Haven't played much lately. (I thought *I would hate the owning a restaurant but I thought it was fun and a lot to do). TS2 had it's problems, too. (did I say that?) when you wanted your Sim to be chef the Sims who had already ordered would lose their food turn...so, all these games had some problem with stuff like this.

Guess I'm just not their target audience. I'm tired of the issues. They seem to be worse each time instead of better. I had major issues near the beginning of S2 where I rage quit due to the jump bug. I literally couldn't play my game because sims could not interact. They fixed it and I never had an issue with it again.

It was then that I swore I wouldn't put up up with this bull pooh any more. But I eventually bit the bullet and learned what hoops to jump through for 3.

I'm just not going to do it any more. I'm not going to pay for this or make or accept excuses for it any more. It's worse this time around. It's every flipping month. Too much for me to excuse.

I waited five years for restaurants in TS3, which never actually happened (store set was the worst) and then two years in TS4...I don['t know I have fun with this one. I had fun with TS2's restaurants, but it did have problems, too. If you were there as owner and let Sims go home you couldn't call them back, (you had to think ahead and hire more and not call everyone in at the same time, it was tricky) and if your Sim took a turn at being the cook, waiter, or host/hostess, it would throw everything off on orders and Sims sat there never getting the food. So, I love TS2 but it needed tweaks.
Gruffsman
8 years ago
"drake_mccarty;c-15719411" wrote:
The statements claiming it to be a focus area suggests otherwise. Pretty sure when asked why employee roles can't be filled with player Sims they said they wanted to focus on the management aspect more, but if you say it was an afterthought then what gives?

What gives? I am not a developer, I can't speak for them.

Dine Out is about sims eating out in a restaurant, either as a date, a family gathering or whatnot. The name chosen for the pack is perfectly correct ... Dine Out. The pack handles that part well. Sims going to a restaurant to eat. The eating out part, from the appetizer and drink down to dessert, with all the animations of the menus and ordering is done well. The actual running of the restaurant appears to be an afterthought. It is not well planned, it appears to have been shoehorned in.

Even with what you said, it doesn't make sense. Employee roles can't be filled with player sims cause they wanted to focus on the management aspect more ... how is it focusing on the management aspect more if you can't hire the employees you want. It is managements job to hire and manage their employees.

Dine Out is good for what it is, an eating experience. Dine Out is not good for running an actual restaurant.
bloodwelker
8 years ago
"Gruffman;c-15719734" wrote:

What gives? I am not a developer, I can't speak for them.

....then why say it was an afterthought ?

Personally I kinda like Dine Out and I haven't run into any issues even though I created multiple restaurants and still run 3 of them actively with my families. Guess I'm lucky. That being said I don't think the management side is too complex or full of depth, but for what it is I'm having a lot of fun with it.
astridentanja
8 years ago
When I look at the trailer, it doesn't become clear to me the managing is handled as a poorly done afterthought. They present it as one of the features in there, without any restrictions.
pixiejuice
8 years ago
If anyone is interested in a (very long and tedious) workaround, I figured something out. The selection of six sims does not include any sim who is currently loaded on the lot. So I invited over each of the sims I didn't want. (I used MCCC summon, to be quicker, but if you don't use mods you could just call them on the phone... if your sim happens to know them.)

When they arrived, the available hires showed six new sims that I didn't want, lol! So I called those ones over, too. Six new sims that I didn't want. Call them over. Again. Again.

In the end, I had like 40 sims on my lot but the guy I wanted finally showed up on the hiring panel for chef. Geez! :s
drake_mccarty
8 years ago
"Gruffman;c-15719734" wrote:
"drake_mccarty;c-15719411" wrote:
The statements claiming it to be a focus area suggests otherwise. Pretty sure when asked why employee roles can't be filled with player Sims they said they wanted to focus on the management aspect more, but if you say it was an afterthought then what gives?

What gives? I am not a developer, I can't speak for them.

Dine Out is about sims eating out in a restaurant, either as a date, a family gathering or whatnot. The name chosen for the pack is perfectly correct ... Dine Out. The pack handles that part well. Sims going to a restaurant to eat. The eating out part, from the appetizer and drink down to dessert, with all the animations of the menus and ordering is done well. The actual running of the restaurant appears to be an afterthought. It is not well planned, it appears to have been shoehorned in.

Even with what you said, it doesn't make sense. Employee roles can't be filled with player sims cause they wanted to focus on the management aspect more ... how is it focusing on the management aspect more if you can't hire the employees you want. It is managements job to hire and manage their employees.

Dine Out is good for what it is, an eating experience. Dine Out is not good for running an actual restaurant.

I actually agree, but they did push the management angle. It really just shows to the limits on what they can provide with GP's.
kremesch
8 years ago
"Cinebar;c-15719455" wrote:

I waited five years for restaurants in TS3, which never actually happened (store set was the worst) and then two years in TS4...I don['t know I have fun with this one. I had fun with TS2's restaurants, but it did have problems, too. If you were there as owner and let Sims go home you couldn't call them back, (you had to think ahead and hire more and not call everyone in at the same time, it was tricky) and if your Sim took a turn at being the cook, waiter, or host/hostess, it would throw everything off on orders and Sims sat there never getting the food. So, I love TS2 but it needed tweaks.

No argument there. Tried running a restaurant a couple of times just to shake things up in 2. Can't say I really invested much time in it. It wasn't like the other businesses and had its fair share of grinding. Restaurants always seemed liked they went above and beyond in the headache area.

Probably true to real life. I don't run one. So I don't know.

Actually can't say I ever cared for running businesses in the game. Too time consuming and never enough time. I play a lot of families and families offer their own level of grinding.

Sure there could be a happy medium though. Maybe some day. *fingers crossed*

The dining out experience in 3 is just not there. Agreed on that one. Crumplebottom always ruined it in 2, and I haven't gotten the pack for it in 4. If crumplebottom didn't exist in 2, I probably would have gone out on more dates. Same goes for social hording in 4. Im still waiting. Guess that's my 5 + 2 years for me. And counting.
astridentanja
8 years ago
I can live with not being able to run restaurants properly in 3 (because it's not a part I'm interested in, running a business; to be honest it sounds very RPG to me), but they simply should have implemented the feature where sims automatically sit together when dining (out or at home). In that respect I think the Sims 4 concept might be the most suitable for me personally. I would expect the staff to be fully skilled though. With one or two Basil Fawltys/Manuels there.